The David Stearns scorecard isn’t pretty. You knew that already, but if you’ve been following along as I’ve graded different areas of the Mets’ first half this week, you’ve been reminded of how so many of his decisions have turned out badly.
Well, the good news for Stearns and the Mets is that he didn’t go 0-for-2026. The bad news is the one area where he excelled, putting together a dominant bullpen, is the area that matters least on a ballclub that is infrequently leading in the late innings.
Figures, right?
In truth, it’s fair to wonder if this Mets bullpen would have stood quite as tall had it been asked to do more in high-leverage spots.
For example, Devin Williams hasn’t blown a save since April 19, shaking off his early-season struggles to be a lock-down closer, yet he has only 12 saves for the season, miles from the MLB-high total of 26 by Cleveland Guardians’ Cade Smith.
On the other hand, Mets relievers are third in MLB in innings pitched, with 377, but some of that is because of the way they used the now-departed David Peterson, as well as others, as bulk-inning guys who followed openers.
The larger point is that the Mets have been able to keep their high-leverage relievers well-rested -- more so than they’d like, in truth.
That said, as far as grading their first half, it’s not fair to ding the pen for a lack of high-stress opportunities, for what they’ve done has been impressive. Indeed, their current 3.45 bullpen ERA ranks fourth in MLB, and their total of 379 strikeouts is first in the majors.
As such, it’s also only fair to give Stearns his due.
Most notably, he signed Williams, despite the right-hander’s up-and-down 2025 season with the Yankees, moving quickly in the offseason to guarantee him $51 million over three years.
Whether he wanted Williams ideally to be Edwin Diaz’s set-up man may never be clear, as the Mets proceeded to lose Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in what remains a murky scenario. Mets people were quick to put the word out that they wanted him back and expected to get last licks in the negotiations, while others familiar with the situation insisted Stearns was OK letting Diaz leave.
In any case, it was a wildly unpopular decision with Mets fans, but as it turned out, this one came up roses for Stearns, at least so far. While Williams has flourished, Diaz went down after only seven appearances with an elbow injury that required surgery to remove loose bodies, and he isn’t expected back until August.
As for Williams, he was shaky early but then seemingly found the form that made him one of the best relievers in baseball during his years in Milwaukee with the Brewers.
Most significantly, the right-hander has rediscovered the magic in his signature changeup, the so-called airbender that is a devastating weapon when he’s setting it up by throwing his fastball for strikes.
“You can see the confidence is back,” was the way one MLB scout put it this week. “It’s all about the confidence to throw the fastball with command and conviction and keep hitters from sitting on the changeup. He’s also trusting the changeup and not trying to steer it, as he did at times last year. When he’s just letting it go, it looks like his fastball delivery and then it disappears on hitters.”
Because of a few rough outings, Williams still has an unimpressive 4.13 ERA. But since April 23 he’s been dominant, giving up one earned run in 20 of his 22 appearances, to go with a couple of clunkers in non-save situations.
“I still need to see him close games in high-pressure spots again,” said the scout, “but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be an issue this year the way the Mets are playing.”
In the meantime, Williams is far from the only success story.
Luke Weaver, after some early-season problems as well, is on an all-time heater, having pitched 24 straight scoreless innings. In fact, he went all of May and June without giving up a run, while racking up 31 strikeouts compared to five walks.
Weaver has been so dominant that, even with another year on his contract, the Mets might be tempted to trade him at the deadline, as he’s likely to be highly sought after by contenders.
In addition, left-handers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter have both been reliable. Minter hasn’t given up an earned run in 14 innings since returning from last year’s elbow surgery.
And then there’s Huascar Brazoban and his 1.93 ERA. The right-hander has been an all-purpose weapon, used as an opener as well as a multi-inning reliever. His 42.1 innings are the most of any of the “A” relievers, if you will, and he’s given up only 22 hits in those innings.
In short, Brazoban has proven to be a steal for Stearns, acquired from the Miami Marlins at the 2024 trade deadline for minor leaguer Wilfredo Lara.
Finally, Austin Warren has emerged as an important bullpen arm as well. A 30-year old journeyman, Warren was picked up on waivers from the Giants in January of 2025, and after appearing in only five games last season, he has made 24 appearances this season, pitching to a 2.45 ERA over 33 innings.
With all of that in mind, the only knock on the Mets’ pen is that Williams and Weaver, in particular, did struggle early, when the Mets were digging themselves the deep hole from which they’ve yet to recover.
But again, to be fair, every bullpen has at least a few ups and downs. For the Mets, it’s pretty much been all pointing up since April.
So Stearns did get something right this year, constructing what has been one of the better bullpens in baseball. Unfortunately for the Mets, poor performance in other areas has minimized its impact.
GRADE: A -
